About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

Hei finally figured out the reason why he was so envious and even felt jealous and angry when they first met.

Perhaps... my protection of Ceylon has become an excuse for me not to move forward?

Hei was deep in thought. She saw Orson's lifestyle and longed for this kind of lifestyle where she could walk in the sunshine with people she trusted.

"I heard a lot of Miss Hei's stories today. It was really amazing, but..."

Orson looked at the guard lady in front of him who was thinking about something. Although the conversation was pleasant, he no longer had time to continue the tea party.

Orson paused, then spoke softly.

"Actually—I didn't go on a so-called 'date' with Miss Hei today. Everything started because I used some ambiguous terms, which led to misunderstandings."

"Hmm...it wasn't a date...is that so? So it was just a misunderstanding—ah, I understand."

Hei's expression was a little surprised at first, mixed with a disappointment that was hard to conceal, but she quickly adjusted herself and nodded to Orson.

Orson was relieved that the other party did not get furious and shoot himself into the wall with a crossbow after hearing the truth, but at the same time he felt even more guilty.

"Um, Miss Hei... aren't you angry?"

"Rather than being angry, it's easier to understand this way. I initially thought you weren't the type to suddenly ask someone of the opposite sex out of the blue. Although I do feel a little cheated, I was actually quite happy with the time we just spent in the cafe."

Hei nodded to Orson and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well—enough of small talk, what was it you wanted to see me about originally, Orson?"

Hei picked up the coffee and put it into his mouth. Because it had cooled down for a while, it finally didn't burn his tongue anymore.

But when he thought of his previous loss of composure and the touch of Orson's fingers with his tongue, his black cheeks still felt slightly hot.

"Actually—I want to know about the 'gods' in the city-state of Xiosta, or similar 'totems' or 'symbols'."

"God...huh? The city-state of Xiosta doesn't seem to have any similar gods to worship or fear, but if we're talking about a totem, it should be that volcano."

Hei pointed to the volcano behind him that could be seen from almost anywhere in Xiosta.

"This volcano is Xiosta's totem. It's not only a landmark building like a tourist attraction, but it also once provided Xiosta with a large amount of obsidian."

"obsidian?"

Orson blinked. Although he could see this word in the brochure, he had almost never seen any related elements after coming to Xiosta - except for the "Obsidian Music Festival".

"Well, obsidian used to be a ubiquitous tourist souvenir, but with the mayor's ban on obsidian mining a few years ago, production has plummeted. Now, the only remaining stock can be purchased at officially designated outlets. Even so, smugglers can still be caught occasionally with obsidian that isn't in stock. The sources through which these individuals obtain the obsidian are a cause for concern."

Is obsidian mined near a volcano?

Orson recalled the excavation site he saw when he entered the vicinity of the volcano, but Orson was not sure what they were digging for.

"When I was looking for Miss Ceylon, I saw an excavation site near a volcano—"

"That one? That's the volcanic hot spring project that Cronin is in charge of. It's a new tourism project that's about to be launched near the Xiosta coast."

Hei responded calmly, while Orson frowned.

The excavation site he saw was not very large. There were even more guards than workers, and there were no load-bearing columns at all. It felt like they had dug and run away directly.

It doesn't seem to match the so-called 'hot springs'...

"Who is Cronin?"

"The Scourge Messenger of Xiosta, and the mayor's deputy."

"Messenger of the Scourge—"

The purpose of Kal'tsit's visit this time was because the natural disaster geologist 'Eyjafjalla' said that 'the values of the Xiosta volcano might be a little strange'. At the same time, Ceylon ran to the vicinity of the volcanic area alone because 'he felt that something was wrong with the volcano, so he wanted to measure the values carefully'.

Professionals and amateurs (although it is a bit disrespectful to Ceylon to call them that) all realized that there seemed to be something wrong with the volcano, but the messenger of disaster named Cronin did not take any action?

Otherwise, the so-called [Messenger of Natural Disasters] profession is essentially the same as taking a driving test. You can get it by paying some money and being scolded for a few days. It is full of all kinds of scoundrels and inexperienced people.

Or, this messenger of disaster named Cronin deliberately concealed information about the Xiosta volcano.

No matter which one it is, it's bad... No, if we have to rank them 123, then the latter is obviously worse, because the latter means that the other party may be the secret agent within the government who controls the spies to follow Chen and Xingxiong and his group.

"What's the problem, Orson? Your expression has grown a bit serious."

Hei noticed that Orson began to ponder after hearing his words, and asked with some concern.

"Ah... nothing, I'm just considering some bad possibilities. Anyway, if possible, it's best to be careful of the man named Cronin."

Orson shook his head to indicate that he was fine, and at the same time gave Hei some advice that he had thought about.

"Be careful of Cronin? Can you tell me the reason? That Scourge Messenger participated in the construction and operation of Xiosta a few years ago and is one of the few people the master trusts."

"Well, although I can't find a definite reason at the moment, he's either a dull-witted fellow or extremely ambitious. Until I hear from Kal'tsit, I can't be sure of his specific identity."

"Can you tell based on what I just said? I understand. I will be wary of him."

Hei blinked, then said he would trust Orson's judgment.

"Thank you so much, Miss Hei! I was just thinking about how to convince you... Uh, Miss Hei, why are you staring at me?"

Orson first expressed his gratitude to Hei for his frank trust, then he noticed that the Film Leopard had been staring at him.

"Although I trust you, but... you lied to me before, right? So... I have to punish you too."

"Eh?"

Orson made a dull sound, while Hei's expression was serious.

"Hmm... I get it. It's true that I accidentally deceived Miss Hei... So what does the punishment mean?"

Orson lowered his head and whispered, then cautiously glanced up at Hei.

The film girl suddenly straightened her posture, put her legs together, leaned upright on the seat, and patted her legs in black thin stockings with her hands.

"Sit... sit on me, and then - let me... rub your head."

"Eh!? Isn't this a bit..."

"This is punishment."

The cold black weapon directly interrupted any of Orson's excuses.

"Ugh...I know."

Orson nodded dejectedly, thinking that he had finally found a "royal smooth-haired cat" who was taller than him and whom he could rub his head at will. However, just because of his immature behavior, he was caught by the "royal smooth-haired cat" and used it as a threat to achieve a two-level reversal.

Orson stood up from his chair, glanced around awkwardly, and then his eyes fell on Hei again.

"Clap"

Hei was still looking the same as before. She stared at Orson with a serious expression, and patted her stockings with her hands on her white thighs.

"Uh-huh..."

There was no other way, Orson could only sit gently on Hei's legs, while slightly bending his body and retracting his neck, trying to use this posture to minimize the contact with Hei's skin as much as possible.

however--

"Wow...!"

Hei's hand gently embraced Orson's chest from behind, and with a little force, he pressed his entire body against Hei's.

Orson suddenly felt a very comfortable "shock-absorbing buffer device" near his shoulder blades on his back, and his hair was also touched by a palm and gently rubbed back and forth.

"okokokok……"

Hei's cheek was pressed against Orson's earlobe, and she only made some ambiguous but satisfying-sounding sounds, which made Orson feel a little itchy.

"Well, that... Miss Hei... is that almost done? I feel so shy——"

Orson wanted to look back, but he didn't dare to move his body. If he moved a little, the wonderful touch on his back would spread and roll out slightly.

What finally saved Orson was the cell phone he had left on the table.

"Drip drip!"

"Miss Hei, I need to take a call first..."

“… Okay, I understand.”

Hei reluctantly let go of his hands, and Orson quickly returned to his seat and answered the phone without even checking the caller ID.

"Hello? This is Orson—"

"It's bad, really bad—this volcano is about to erupt."

Kal'tsit's voice instantly made the blush on Orson's face disappear.

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23. The impending disaster and the actions of foreigners

"This is not good—what's going on, Kelsey?!"

Orson held the phone and asked Kal'tsit, who was conducting field tests near the volcano on the other end of the line, with an anxious tone.

"It's exactly what it says. The volcano in Xiosta City isn't extinct. Quite the contrary, it's simply dormant. Coincidentally, all the indicators indicate it's in a critical state, about to erupt."

"Eruption critical state?"

Orson's expression turned serious. Although he knew very well that Xiosta City was in some kind of crisis, Kal'tsit's words were like a bell warning him that the time might be shorter than he thought.

"For example, the Xiosta volcano is like a bottle of Coke that has been shaken vigorously. Just a slight twist on the bottle cap will cause the 'drink' to erupt violently and uncontrollably."

Kal'tsit used a deflated Coke as an analogy.

"...Can you tell the exact time?"

Orson asked in a low voice, noticing some eyes were looking at him. No matter what the considerations were, now was not a good time to spread panic.

"Specifically and practically—within a year, Xiosta's volcano will definitely erupt."

"This time is a bit too general..."

Orson complained in a low voice that although Kal'tsit did give a time node, considering the current environment, this prediction did not seem to be very useful.

"Listen, within a year refers to the natural time it takes for the energy flow within the volcano to reach a critical state, based on numerical calculations. The problem is that the activity of this volcano is very strange right now. This volcano doesn't absorb energy and convert it into kinetic energy in the traditional way. This value is more like... a biological feeling. So I can't predict when someone will 'open the bottle cap,' but even if left alone, this volcano will definitely erupt within a year."

Kal'tsit explained to Orson somewhat unhappily.

"Biological...does this mean that the energy flow inside the volcano is actually guided by some kind of biological being?"

"It's not clear yet."

"I roughly understand the situation. Is the source of this data accurate? Is there any possibility of miscalculation?"

"What do you say?"

Kal'tsit's tone on the other end of the phone clearly indicated that she was trying to tease him, but Orson had to ask these provocative-sounding questions.

"Uh...how difficult is it to obtain this data?"

"It's not difficult at all. All you have to do is input the parameters you've observed into the equipment, and then just wait. In a sense, it's no different from making instant noodles in a microwave."

Kelsey responded coldly.

"Eat less instant noodles next time, I get it. Did you meet anyone during your observation?"

"We were blocked from entering the volcano, so I used the M3 to reach the observation point from the volcanic cliffs on the side. This place is indeed being deliberately protected by some force."

"Anyway, let's get out of there quickly! It's about to erupt!"

Orson persuaded Kal'tsit to leave quickly, saying that if the volcano was really that dangerous, they should stay away from it as soon as possible.

"There's no point in leaving now, Orson. If Xiosta's volcano erupts now, most... no, 9% of the citizens will die in this natural disaster as long as they can't leave Xiosta."

"...I understand. Anyway, I'll meet up with you now. Remember not to trust anyone."

Orson said this to Kal'tsit, then turned to look at Hei beside him.

"I didn't mute the call. Miss Hei, you should have heard some of the details. It doesn't look like you can leisurely drink coffee now—"

"Drinking coffee...? What the hell is wrong with you, Orson? You just ran off to a restaurant with that Dolkos family guard yesterday, and this morning you were being tossed around by those two Longmen civil servants. And now you're telling me you were happily chatting with that Filin in a coffee shop?"

Orson forgot that he hadn't hung up the phone yet. After hearing about Hei and Orson's actions, Kal'tsit's voice on the other end of the phone completely changed from the coldness she had when she reported the volcano situation. Her fur stood up, and Orson could even hear the sound of M3 being summoned and hammering the wall.

"Well, well, my signal is a little bad over here. See you later. Keep in touch!"

"That's right, when you come here, choose a good feng shui location for yourself—"

Orson quickly hung up Kal'tsit's enthusiastic blessing, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and looked at Hei in front of him.